The federal government won't fess up about the use of the cancer-causing chemical on Guam, but veteran activist Brian Moyer says seeing is believing.


"They have never admitted to it but I witnessed spraying take place at Polaris Point," he told KUAM News.

While rounds of Agent Orange sampling conducted on Guam have revealed the presence of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T - the main ingredients in the toxic herbicide - at "non-toxic" levels, Moyer worked with the Guam Environmental Protection Agency to identify places Agent Orange was sprayed.

Moyer was in constant communication with the late Leroy Foster, an Air Force veteran who served on Guam and said he sprayed Agent Orange on island. Foster suffered from a plethora of health ailments - all of which he said can be traced back to his exposure to toxins.

We asked Moyer if he thought the samplings he took with Guam EPA and a U.S. EPA team would yield more conclusive results AO was used on Guam, and he said yes.

"We went to areas were testing has never been done," he said.



While Moyer had high praise for Sens. Therese Terlaje, Telena Nelson and Congressman Michael San Nicolas, he did say the Department of Defense and specifically Joint Region Marianas was stonewalling local efforts to test for the herbicide on military bases. He says he met with Navy officials and he is going to push for sampling on base since he is familiar with areas that may have been sprayed during the time he was stationed on Guam.

"If I can identify these areas lets take 'em now, he said. "We've got the U.S. EPA collection team here, I'm here, let's walk the point (Polaris) here - boom boom boom."

Moyer founded the Agent Orange Survivors of Guam group and was present when local EPA in conjunction with U.S. EPA's superfund technical assessment and response team performed sample taking at several spots ranging from Yigo to Polaris point - all samples taken from outside military fencelines. Moyer says even if the feds deny AO was used on Guam, some veterans who say they sprayed it here have had the veterans' administration cover their Agent Orange-related illnesses.

And he adds that no matter what Uncle Sam is saying, the proof is out there because toxins have been linked to numerous cancers and high rates of other illnesses.

"Guam has a cancer rate that's four times higher than the U.S. national average," he said. "Guam's diabetic rate, diabetes rate, is 20% higher than the US national average. Birth anomalies, birth defects, stillborns, are still ranked parallel to those of the known contaminated areas of the former Republic of Vietnam. It's one thing for us, I mean, we were here for two years on Guam. What about the island population?"

Sample analysis for the latest round of soil collection is expected to be completed in 12 weeks. In the meantime, Moyer and his group will keep waiting. something they've become too used to doing.

"Guam veterans - we're tired of being treated as second class citizens, second class veterans and so are the people of Guam," he said. "When are we going to get justice? When? That's the question."